Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House over what he calls “FAKE NEWS”.
The White House says the three outlets will be barred from its grounds as questions grow over the ban’s legal scope.
Trump names The New York Times and The Washington Post as “fake news” and warns other outlets could follow.
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, accusing the three news organisations of repeatedly reporting what he called “FAKE NEWS” about his administration and warning that other media outlets could face similar action.
The announcement, made in a social media post and later discussed by Trump with reporters in the Oval Office, raised questions over the scope and legality of the move. Free speech experts said the ban conflicts with the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press. Representatives of all three outlets could still be seen working at the White House on Friday afternoon following Trump's post.
Trump said there had been no specific incident behind the decision, describing it instead as the result of coverage over several years. “It's really just cumulative stories over the past few years,” he told reporters. Trump added, “I don't have to let them into my, into the people's house.”
The White House was informing CNN, MS NOW and Politico that they would be banned from the White House grounds as of Saturday, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed senior White House official. According to Reuters, the extent of the ban announced by Trump was not immediately clear, and the legality of any move could depend on its scope.
In his social media post, Trump accused the outlets of “reporting FAKE NEWS” and said they “shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States.” He added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
When asked what he meant by “to follow”, Trump mentioned The New York Times and The Washington Post as what he called “fake news”.
Legal questions over White House access
Reuters reported that the move was almost certain to face legal challenges, while free speech experts said it conflicts with First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.
Courts have given presidents broad discretion over selective access to events such as Oval Office meetings and small press pools. However, broader exclusions from generally available White House press facilities or credentials could face stronger challenges under the First Amendment and constitutional protections for due process.
According to Reuters, Trump's move came weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, in which his fellow Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress. Reuters/Ipsos polls show the public souring on Republicans, while Trump's own approval ratings stand near historic lows amid what Reuters described as the deeply unpopular Iran war he kicked off, which has sent energy prices soaring.
Decades of press access tradition
According to Reuters, the Trump administration has upended decades of tradition in its dealings with the White House press, cutting back the access many major news organisations have had to the president while elevating the presence of new media outlets seen as more sympathetic to the administration.
CNN said in a statement that it stood behind its journalists who cover the White House.
“We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” CNN said in a statement. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right.”
Politico said on X that it would “continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones.”
“We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them,” Politico said.
MS NOW declined to comment.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said the move would violate First Amendment protections.
“It's difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People's House for criticizing the government,” Stern said in a statement.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the First Amendment prohibits the president from punishing journalists because he does not like their coverage.
“If President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a 'public forum' under the First Amendment, which means the president can't exclude journalists from it on the basis of their viewpoints,” Jaffer said in a statement.
Trump’s history of clashes with the press
Trump rose to fame as a New York developer skilled at getting the city's tabloid newspapers to cover his social life. He later built his profile as a reality television personality before making a serious push into politics.
Since his successful 2016 campaign, Trump has regularly criticised the press, stepping up his complaints during his second term. He has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programmes he dislikes or which have joked about or criticised him or his administration. He has also called on the Federal Communications Commission to strip disfavoured broadcast stations of their licences.
Reuters reported that Trump has filed several lawsuits against news organisations, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the BBC and the Des Moines Register. His defamation suits against ABC and CBS were settled for $15 million and $16 million, respectively.
During his first term, Trump's White House sought to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN's Jim Acosta. Federal judges ordered their White House press passes restored.
Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump has openly badgered reporters, particularly those from US television networks.
Last year, he also banned The Associated Press from the usual pool of reporters covering his movements because the news agency did not adopt Trump's preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump has instructed executive branch employees to refer to as the Gulf of America.
The extent of the ban announced by Trump remained unclear.
